New 2009 fed preseason guide quote????

[D-Man]

Right on Oz!

It's not just baseball that suffers from what amounts to a lack of accountability. This is what's poisoning society and making lawyers rich.

In my opinion, we shouldn't need to be correct all the time, as long as we are fair every time. Rats demand that we are to be perfect on every call, every time. However, while we're doing that, we have to be baby sitters, police officers, judges, meteorologists, whipping posts, and the whole time we're expected to be nice and not be percieved as "arrogant" or "unapproachable".

I spend so much of my time and money, like most all of you do, to be at my best on the field. That means I really do care about being in the right place and making the right call every time. The reality is we are all human and the game is also played by humans. I don't make any call with self interest or bias. So what if it's wrong.

If I didn't see something I should have and there is a chance my partner(s) had a better view, I'll confer. Otherwise, I'm going to keep trying to get them all myself and not hang any of my partners out to dry.

D

[JRutledge]

I honestly feel the term "Getting it right" is really a stupid comment when it comes to any officiating. Do any of us really think people are not trying to "Get it right?" And as someone that works more than just baseball, we always try to "get it right." There is just a process that needs to be followed. If I am in a two man system and there is a play at second on a steal, I do not need help on a tag. Even a play at first base while I am in the A position, I do not need help to get that right. I am doing nothing else but watching that play.

What really irritates me is when we have secondary coverage on something that if we saw something, we would make a call. If we do not make a call, then we did not see anything to make that call. You cannot tell that to these dumbazz coaches.

The best example is when there is a hit ball that comes close to the batter immediately after the ball was hit. If the base umpire (properly taught) sees the ball hit the batter, then you are supposed to kill the play. If we do not see anything, then we have nothing to add but pure speculation. And we should not be making calls on pure speculation.

This is becoming a much bigger problem in baseball and really this is one of the reasons I have limited working baseball in the last few years.

Peace

[Klokard]

I have decided that if the Managers and HC's are going to request me getting help on the routine, I will in turn ask him to get help on his game strategy. I used to ask each HC at the plate meeting if I in any way helped them make out their line-ups. After each assured me that I had not, I then informed them that since I didn't help them, I would not require their help umpiring.

[JRutledge]

The best way to handle those ridiculous requests is to ask the coach a similar or relevant question. I have asked on several times, "You want him to help me on a call that he is 50 feet away from?" It makes me laugh when they do not know what to say after such a question.

Peace

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The best way to handle those ridiculous requests is to ask the coach a similar or relevant question. I have asked on several times, "You want him to help me on a call that he is 50 feet away from?" It makes me laugh when they do not know what to say after such a question.

Peace

I have often answered a request on a close play, "Let's see, you were 180' from the play and you think that you saw something that you want me to ask my partner, 50' away to rule on a call that I was 3' from?" Then I usually turn and walk away before they can answer me.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

The best way to handle those ridiculous requests is to ask the coach a similar or relevant question. I have asked on several times, "You want him to help me on a call that he is 50 feet away from?" It makes me laugh when they do not know what to say after such a question.

Peace

I had a coach last season who simply couldn't believe I wouldn't get help on a routine play at first from the A position (he thought there was a pulled foot - there most certainly was not). He was stunned to the point of not knowing what to say, so I turned and walked away from him.

[DG]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I had a coach last season who simply couldn't believe I wouldn't get help on a routine play at first from the A position (he thought there was a pulled foot - there most certainly was not). He was stunned to the point of not knowing what to say, so I turned and walked away from him.

I had one ask me to get help on a close play at the plate with my partner out in deep C with runners on the bases.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Klokard

I have decided that if the Managers and HC's are going to request me getting help on the routine, I will in turn ask him to get help on his game strategy. I used to ask each HC at the plate meeting if I in any way helped them make out their line-ups. After each assured me that I had not, I then informed them that since I didn't help them, I would not require their help umpiring.

This must be a joke. Saying that at a home plate meeting is unthinkable.

[tballump]

Your the man OZZY

I believe there is a moderator on another Forum that would say "here we go with that "help" stuff again? Baseball is a game of judgment calls not help calls.
These coaches know exactly what they are doing when they try to make you look bad to the crowd by asking for help all the time and watching umpires get help all day, or by not getting help and then giving those looks of disbelief when the umpires do not. They are just playing you against one another knowing that this area is one of those areas that can make you look bad to the crowd either way, and make them look good, like they are doing their job at your expense. I believe getting help all the time on the field would put one in the "Smitty" column of umpiring for ones field work rather than the usual Smitty uniform part. Besides, I believe "help" was the name of a song anyway.

[Kevin Finnerty]

When I was younger (so much younger than today), I never needed anybody's help in any way. But now these days are gone, and I'm not so self assured. Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors ... so to speak.

[archangel]

Its ironic that in basketball and football, we hear the complaint from coaches/fans- "you cant call that from back there", when a thrown flag or whistle comes from the official farther away than a partner, but in baseball its just the opposite (in coaches minds)....